NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Are you tired of Alabama yet? We’re not talking tired-of-Tim Tebow tired. No one’s that tired. But are you tired of Alabama drawing 84,000 for a spring game? Tired of those awful Pop Warner crimson uniforms? Tired of coach Nick Saban’s root-canal gaze, his no-fun approach?
Hey, the guy even complained about his Gatorade shower Thursday night.
Well, get used to it. The national champion Crimson Tide is just warming up.
Saban’s post-championship news conference wasn’t 15 minutes old Friday when someone asked him about next season. At Alabama, it’s not just what have you done for me lately. It’s what will you do for me next.
Alabama can do a lot. The only players the 14-0 Crimson Tide lose on offense are guard Mike Johnson, tackle Drew Davis and tight end Colin Peek. Back is Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, who bulled for 116 yards and two touchdowns in Thursday’s 37-21 BCS Championship win over Texas. Also back are surprising quarterback Greg McElroy and receiver Julio Jones, who’s due to become tremendously productive if he gets healthy.
That’s why the Crimson Tide will likely be the preseason No. 1 pick in August.
“I think that people who make those statements sort of just look at the periphery of, well, you have Julio Jones, you have Mark Ingram, you’ve got (backup tailback) Trent Richardson, the quarterback is coming back, so therefore everything is going to turn up roses,” Saban said. “And that’s not necessarily the case.”
Saban loses his entire defensive line, including All-American nose guard Terrence Cody, two linebackers and two defensive backs, including All-American cornerback Javier Arenas.
That list doesn’t include junior middle linebacker Rolando McClain, who could jump early to the NFL.
“We had a team this year that really probably won because we ran the ball effectively and we played pretty well on defense for the most part,” Saban said, “and we’re going to lose a lot of players on defense.”
The most devastating loss could be McClain. The Butkus Award winner is arguably the best defensive player in the country with 125 tackles, 14 quarterback hurries, four sacks and two interceptions. He had two tackles for loss Thursday.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. projects McClain as the No. 10 pick in the draft.
“If they’re first-round draft picks, and we will do everything we can to find out what their draft status is, they certainly have to make a strong consideration from a business standpoint to consider coming out for the draft,” said Saban, who coached the Miami Dolphins from 2005-06. “But I also strongly suggest to those who are not first-round draft picks that they should stay in school, graduate and try to become first-round draft picks.”
It’s clear Alabama is the new king in the country and the Southeastern Conference. With Florida losing Tebow and coach Urban Meyer taking a leave of absence, the 2009 preseason favorite is in flux.
Alabama’s schedule is manageable but no cakewalk. It has its usual SEC nonconference marshmallows in San Jose State, Duke and FCS Georgia State, but also hosts Penn State on Sept. 11. Alabama travels to Tennessee and Louisiana State and gets Florida and Mississippi at home.
In Saban’s thinking, Thursday’s title is merely one step in the process. He’s the first coach in the modern era to win national titles at two different schools. However, his message to his players has always been to not get caught up in the moment.
Take the moment Thursday when end Marcell Dareus intercepted a shovel pass and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown with three seconds left in the first half.
Suddenly Alabama led 24-6 over a team that lost its starting quarterback for the rest of the game. The Alabama faithful went berserk, only surpassed by the Crimson Tide in the locker room at halftime.
“It was like the locker room after the SEC championship game,” Saban said. “We were flat in the third quarter, and I had to stand up on a chair and say, ‘This is a 60-minute game. We need to refocus, re-center what we’re doing, get our energy right and quit wasting energy.’ “
Sure enough, Texas freshman backup quarterback Garrett Gilbert came of age, throwing two second-half touchdown passes and Alabama didn’t gain a first down in the third quarter.
In the end, it merely kept folks in the stands and in front of their TVs.
Alabama expects to have the same effect next season.
John Henderson: 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com
